Wednesday, January 16, 2019 ~ LANGFORD
~ West Shore Voice News
About 40 pipeline demonstrators gathered at a local coffee shop in the Millstream commercial area of Langford this morning, then made their way along the Millstream overpass on Veterans Memorial Parkway, made a pit stop in front of the West Shore RCMP Detachment, then continued down Goldstream Avenue to Jacklin Road where they then arrived at Premier John Horgan’s Langford-Juan de Fuca constituency office.
The event was staged to support Unistoten Camp, as a way of fighting against the pipeline and “for the future health of the land”.
For the most part, sidewalks were not used, as the goal was to disrupt local vehicle traffic. “The action will block the overpass on Highway 14/Millstream Road to express our discontent with Canada’s conduct, hold the RCMP to account for ongoing colonial violence toward the Wet’suwet’en people and their allies, and call on Premier John Horgan and the BC government to respect Wet’suwet’en law and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” the group said in a news release.
Police emergency operations were not affected by the protest, said RCMP. However, several community volunteers for the West Shore RCMP Speedwatch Program were unable to leave the front of the detachment in the community sponsored van. A 79-year-old volunteer for the West Shore RCMP Keep in Touch program required a police escort to get past the protest for a scheduled meeting inside the building.
“The RCMP fully support the right to peaceful and safe protest,” says Cpl Chris Dovell of the West Shore RCMP. “But businesses and community volunteers also have the right to conduct meetings,” he said in a news release.
In front of Premier Horgan’s constituency office there was singing, chanting and speeches, wrapping up with a prayer circle ahead of 11 am. They made no effort to go into the office where four staff were working.
No arrests were made, says West Shore RCMP.